It's not an easy task to be awake. Awake means we are fully present to our experiences rather than looking for the exit door when things get uncomfortable. The exit door can be denial, busyness, or other things. In my case, it would probably be food. Especially when the feeling of anxiousness shows up. My first impulse is to numb the feeling rather than accepting it.
When we escape from the feeling, we've fallen back asleep. We may think we have cleverly found freedom but in fact, we have put ourselves in a cage. Though it may seem more comfortable to be asleep, it comes with a high price tag. Always seeking to escape our feelings rather than being with them develops into bad habits, compulsive behaviors, and addiction.
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